Bakker Bugle Blog

Initially, when I decided to do these “Random Happenings” posts in February, I thought that writing one catch-up post at the end of two months would be easy. We’re not that busy, I thought. I will totally be able to keep up this posting schedule. However, carving out the time to write this post has been difficult, hence the delay. Our lives are so full right now, it is almost overwhelming. Almost.

There were a few events that happened in May/June that deserve their own posts. My hope is to write them during July. The events that will get their own post:

Anita’s VIP day at the Tour of Luxembourg
Anita goes to Gibraltar
Jaime visit Luxembourg

Our first major activity in May was our trip to Oudenaarde, which Will told you about in detail. I was riding as much as possible before the trip, taking some long rides with our friends and some with Will. Generally, if it isn’t raining on the weekend I’m on the bike.

We attended the Memorial Day ceremony at the American Military Cemetery, which was additionally touching as they celebrated 70 years since the landings in Normandy. For the first time since we have been attending, Grand Duke Henri came to present his wreath. The weather was grey and cold during the ceremony, which seemed appropriate as we honored the WWII veterans and fallen soldiers.

Luxembourg’s marathon is unusual as the start is at 7 p.m., versus the early morning. It’s known as the Night Marathon and the route usually goes right by our apartment, making it an excellent spot to cheer on the runners. While almost everyone was out of town, we did have a small group of friends over to enjoy a bit of spirit and fun. Even more fun was the fact that we had two canine friends there too!

Will’s cousin and his wife have been living in Germany for the last three years. Their stay in Germany was coming to a close, so they took time out of their busy lives to stop in Luxembourg to see us one more time before they left. Both Will and I greatly appreciated the extra effort to say goodbye, but for Will their trip was even more special. Carolyn and Mike were the proud owner of a fabulous espresso machine that they gifted to Will. The espresso machine was 220/60, so it couldn’t follow them home to America.

It has been a long time since I have seen Will that happy and excited about a new toy. All three of them swarmed around, getting it set up and running. While we’ll miss having Carolyn and Mike a short car ride away, we’ll think of them every day as some excellent coffee is brewed!

The BBB&B kennel opened it’s doors for another guest. Dexter, a sweet older dog, came to stay with us for a week. He got quite a treat, as he was there when Carolyn and Mike visited. Dexter loves people, so two extra people in the apartment made him very happy. Also, he got to be a spectator at the Tour of Luxembourg on the day that Will and I followed the race. He found the whole experience quite exciting.

World Cup fever hit our house, like many in the Grand Region. We watched the group play and managed to see most of the Round of 16. I am proud of how well the US did, even though they have some work to go. When I drafted this post, all of our neighbors (Germany, France, and Belgium) are still alive. Of course, our family is supporting the Netherlands for the rest of the Cup, so Hup Holland!

To close the month, please enjoy a few photos from the phone!

Someone got a hammock…..

You never know what you will find on your evening cycle. This time, we found cows on our path!

The neighbor’s roses were spectacular. My walk to work is so pretty.

We were inspired by one of our recent visitors to have a small wine tasting. Of course, Will liked one more and I liked the other….

I have been eating a lot of boiled eggs recently, but I was frustrated about how difficult it was to peel them cleanly. Then I discovered you can buy boiled eggs at the grocery store. Not only do they peel easily, but they also don’t have to be refrigerated. Plus, they come in fun colors! These were the eggs that were for sale around National Day, so they are dyed to match the flag of Luxembourg.